After watching "I Can Make You Thin" with Paul McKenna, I found myself thinking about words and their meanings, and I suddenly realized that we don't actually have a word for "just right."

"Fat" is never a positive word when used in North America to describe a human being. The word for "too fat" is "obese," but being "fat" in any way is never perceived as a good condition. And doctors will say it's isn't healthy for individuals to be "fat."

Since "thin" is theoretically the opposite of "fat," in my mind, "thin" should also be a negative word. Yes, we might say "too thin" or maybe "anorexic" or "malnourished" to describe someone who is underweight. But the reality is that in our context, we tend to think of "thin" as a good thing. Ergo, the title of the TV show, "I Can Make you Thin."

Who decides where fat ends and thin begins, or vice versa? And where do you draw the line between "thin" and "too thin"?

I don't want to be thin. And I don't want to be fat. What I want is to be healthy and just right for my height and age.

I propose we need another word that describes that middle ground between "thin" and "fat" – because in reality, the human body should be neither "fat" nor "thin," but somewhere in the middle – in that area where the the BMI tells me I should be. "Fit?" "Healthy?"

April 10, 2008

About the author 

N. J. Lindquist

N. J. Lindquist is the award-winning author of books, articles, short stories, and blog posts. She also edits and publishes the "Hot Apple Cider" anthologies. A former high school teacher, N. J. co-founded The Word Guild and teaches workshops for writers as well as speaking on various topics including creativity and leadership.

  • You make a good point. But for the purposes of his show, the title chosen was probably the clearest and simplest to get the point across. The probably better title, “I can make you weigh less” doesn’t have a ring to it.

    If he were to write a book using his methods (actually I think he did, but I forgot the name of it) it may make more sense if it were “I can make you healthy”.

  • You make a good point. But for the purposes of his show, the title chosen was probably the clearest and simplest to get the point across. The probably better title, “I can make you weigh less” doesn’t have a ring to it.

    If he were to write a book using his methods (actually I think he did, but I forgot the name of it) it may make more sense if it were “I can make you healthy”.

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